swaddle

verb

swad·​dle ˈswä-dᵊl 

swaddled; swaddling

ˈswäd-liŋ,

ˈswä-dᵊl-iŋ 

transitive verb

1

a

: to wrap (an infant) with swaddling clothes

b

: envelop, swathe

legs swaddled in bandages

2

: restrain, restrict

marriage … swaddled him in a domesticity he came to loathe

—Nina Auerbach

Examples of swaddle in a Sentence

He swaddled the baby in a blanket.

Recent Examples on the Web

Saft bent over a sofa that was swaddled in a heavy blue blanket, vigorously slashing at packing tape. —Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, infants should never be placed in a car seat while swaddled. —Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025

Plus, how often does being swaddled look that good? —Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2025

There was an infant right there—a two-month-old boy, swaddled in period-correct cloth against a reenactor’s chest. —Caity Weaver, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English swadelen, swathelen, probably alteration of swedelen, swethelen, from swethel swaddling band, from Old English; akin to Old English swathian to swathe

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for swaddle

• caudal
• caudle
• dawdle
• model
• twaddle
• waddle
• remodel

Kids Definition

swaddle

verb

swad·​dle ˈswäd-ᵊl 

swaddled; swaddling ˈswäd-liŋ 

-ᵊl-iŋ

: to wrap an infant with swaddling clothes